Hannah Shepard Goes to the Normandy
by VeiraSurana
Summary: Drabble of Hannah Shepard visiting her daughter during the events of Mass Effect 2.


"I am not here to negotiate this with you, dear, " Hannah Shepard pressed, using that mom voice she always utilized when her daughter was being difficult. It still carried weight with Erin Shepard, even though she was in her thirties now. "Give me your location and I will be over for a visit soon."

"But, mom," Shepard said quickly, "I can't just give you the Navpoint of the Normandy. Being affiliated at all with Cerberus could mean jail time and if found out could compromise my mission, and you could get into serious trouble." Not exactly true, but maybe her mom might fall for it.

Hannah Shepard's scoff was loud. "Only if I tell someone other than Steven Hackett or Anderson. Which I won't. Because I care about you. And neither Steven nor Anderson would give me hell for seeing my daughter. They like me too much."

Shepard bit her lip. This wonderful call from her mother was expected, though she hoped it wouldn't lead her to coming over to the Normandy. Not that she didn't want to see her, quite the opposite really, but her mission was just too important and she wanted to protect herself and her mother from any blow back from being on a Cerberus ship. Though she doubted she could convince her mother of anything. That woman was the most stubborn individual in the universe, more so than any hard shell old krogan.

Erin couldn't help but blame herself for this. Sure, she had been busy with suddenly being alive again and being sent straight into a suicide mission, but that was no excuse to not even try to call her mother. A point in which Hannah brought up constantly now, in a somehow sarcastic but still serious sort of way.

"Erin Xuan Shepard, give me the Navpoint. Or else your old mother will tear through the galaxy just to find you. No one wants that."

Oh. She used her middle name. Hannah Shepard was thoroughly serious. Shepard sighed and tapped her communication device. There was no winning this argument with her mother. "Uploading it now."

"Thank you, honey," Hannah Shepard said, her voice sweet and had a touch of relief. "I will be sure to bring a surprise for you."

"You mean my torment?" Shepard asked, completely serious.

Hannah chuckled. "So dramatic. But yes. And no. Love you." And like that, she signed off.

Shepard made her way slowly to Miranda's office. She hesitated at the door, picturing the best way to go about this. Eventually she walked in, taking a deep breath. "Okay, try not to freak out, but..."

* * *

A day later, Hannah Shepard's shuttle pulled up to the Normandy. Shepard had a line of crew mates waiting to greet her, Garrus standing in the back as well, as he said he wouldn't miss this for anything. Hannah had made it her goal to call her daughter whenever she would settle for lunch with her crew mates in the last Normandy, so Garrus had never met the senior Shepard in person. The only crew member that had met Hannah in person was Ashley, and she wasn't here now. The thought made Shepard's throat close a little.

Joker was present as well. He had a big grin on his face, knowing full well of Hannah's wicked sense of humour in regards to embarrassing his commander. He made his way beside Shepard, his smile not wavering. "Well, this is exciting," he said.

"Hush," Shepard frowned at him. She smoothed out her uniform for the umpteenth time, calming the excited and nervous jitters in her stomach. Suddenly, the hatch opened, and Hannah Shepard marched through. Mother Hannah was in her late fifties, remarkably straight backed and radiated confidence and grace, her posture familiar to the rest of the crew because her daughter tried to emulate it in her own. Hands behind her back and sharp eyes, Hannah was every bit the badass and level headed captain, one that her daughter clearly idolized. And Erin made sure she showed that well earned idolization.

"Captain on deck!" Shepard said strongly, saluting. The rest of the crew followed, including Joker.

Hannah had a broad smile on her face, her elegant and long braid dancing behind her in her stride. "At ease."

Shepard placed her hands behind her back, and there was a strange moment where both the Shepard's in different generations mirrored each other, both as strong as ever. Despite the stress from before, Erin Shepard's heart warmed at the sight of her mother, smiling kindly. "It's so good to see you, mom."

"Thank you, love," Hannah replied, "now enough with the formalities. I have a ship to see and a crew to meet!"

"Of course," Shepard chuckled, "everyone, back to work."

Joker extended a hand to Hannah. "Captain Shepard. It's an honour to finally meet you."

Hannah took his hand gratefully. "Ah, Jeff Moreau, is it? I recall fondly the day I first called my daughter during her last mission. I believe you called me Erin's 'badass super mom'?"

Joker actually blushed a little. "I know 'em when I hear 'em, ma'am."

"That is a title I will take any day," Hannah replied with a laugh. "Carry on, pilot."

Garrus was waiting politely to be addressed, standing tall at attention as does any normal turian. "Mom, this is Garrus Vakarian," Shepard said, "I don't think you two spoke during those lunches you called. He helped me take down Saren personally."

"Yes, you've mentioned him before," Hannah nodded, "though I do remember him chuckling during the story where I told your crew how you first manifested your biotics."

"Oh?" Garrus asked, "how do you know it was me?"

"I know what turian voices sound like, Mr. Vakarian."

"Ah," the turian replied simply, "and please, just Garrus. Shepard has talked about you many times."

"Has she?" Hannah grinned, turning to her daughter, "do tell."

"Nothing bad, I assure you," Garrus said quickly, raising his hands, "just the occasional story of military prowess and general mothering. Although she was very worried that you would murder her for not calling."

Hannah barked a laugh. "Ha! Murder! Erin's always exaggerated my actions. No, no, not murder. Just merciless teasing and embarrassing childhood stories. Speaking of which, can I interest you in lunch? I'd like to set up a small get together with her crew."

Shepard's eyes grew wide. "Oh no."

Garrus tossed Shepard a look that she recognized as turian smugness. "There is no way I'll miss that, Captain."

"Good attitude. We will see you there." She smiled at Shepard. "Let's meet the rest, dear."

First, Shepard introduced Mordin. If Hannah was taken aback by his fast speech, she did not outwardly indicate it. Ironically she seemed to relax more around him when he revealed he was a former STG specialist. Hannah did seem more comfortable around people who had some form of military background, she always said people who didn't have one were less predictable. Which puzzled Shepard at first when she married her new(ish) husband Mark, who was just a doctor. When she asked, Hannah said she wanted a challenge this time. Shepard guessed she also wanted someone who was completely different from Shepard's dad, because the loss of him was still so painful for the both of them.

Next was Jacob, who immediately took a liking to the Senior Shepard. Hannah of course invited him to lunch, which he readily accepted. "Anything to see the Commander on her toes," as he put it.

Descending a level, Shepard introduced Samara next. Shepard could tell Hannah was impressed by the asari's powerful biotics and incredible grace, just as Shepard was when she first met the justicar. Samara was polite and treated Hannah with respect, though there was a hint of sadness in her demeanour. Shepard couldn't say why. Hannah was a bit disappointed that she turned down the offer to lunch, but she never forced anyone to participate, so she instead shook the justicar's hand.

Down the hall was Thane. He was his usual self, quiet yet incredibly polite, bowing before the older Shepard, who was unsure if it was proper protocol to bow back. Thane assured her she did not have to, but thanked her for the thought. Shepard wondered if this was inappropriate to shove a parent/child relationship in his face, since his relationship with his son was still rocky at the moment. If there was any indication he was uncomfortable, he of course showed no proof. Surprisingly, Thane accepted the invitation to lunch, making Shepard wonder if he was trying to abide by the advice she gave him to interact with the crew more.

Next was Kasumi. Hannah Shepard was incredibly good at figuring out criminals, and if Kasumi's attire and assortment of priceless art was any indication, Hannah guessed correctly almost straight away. Which Kasumi was impressed by. But honestly, thieves were of very little concern on Hannah's radar, and she liked Kasumi's energy. Lunch with Kasumi nearby was inevitable, though she might choose to stay invisible.

Shepard felt that seeing Miranda might not be a good idea, since she was not exactly happy an Alliance captain was aboard. For now, they skipped the second-in-command.

Hannah and Doctor Chakwas had met a long time ago, and were close enough to exchange messages now and then, mostly concerning Shepard's well being, apparently. It was nice to see two old Alliance ladies bond, even if technically Chakwas wasn't Alliance anymore. Zaeed was present in the MedBay as well, since it was still soon after his accident during the fiasco of his mission. Although Shepard had convinced him that teamwork was needed for him to be on the Normandy, he was still a touch... salty that Santiago got away. To put it lightly. Shepard could understand that, so she did not press. He was still tolerable towards Hannah, however, seeming to enjoy her obvious badassery.

Visiting Grunt was a reminder of how much Shepard needed to take him to Tuchunka. He was restless and introducing him to an older military "warrior" was enough to get him to charge at Hannah. Shepard immediately moved to shield her mother, but Hannah dodged out of the way, and sent a small, but powerful ball of pure biotic that could make even the strongest krogan stumble. Instead of getting more riled up, Grunt just laughed and said the genes made sense. Luckily, Hannah didn't mind being attacked, giving the young krogan a friendly slap on the back. She was always good with communicating with aliens.

Jack had made it clear that she wanted to be left alone other than the occasional visit from Shepard. She respected the woman's wishes, skipping the compartment below. Though the two engineers above were eager to have lunch with the Captain.

Outside the door, Shepard smiled at her mother. "That's all the crew. Well almost. EDI? Would you like to introduce yourself?"

"I did not want to impose on your reunion," the robotic voice of EDI stated simply.

"Yeah?" Shepard asked, "or were you sitting back and just listening to find out some dirt on your commander?"

"I have the records of phone calls placed by the captain in my systems, Shepard. I do not need to dig very far."

Shepard sighed at the realization. "Of course you do."

"An AI?" Hannah gasped, "Now _that_ wasn't there the last time I called. Cerberus' work, I take it?"

Shepard nodded. "So far, EDI has been an asset. She's saved my life many times."

"Then I can trust you," Hannah said to the wall. "Keep my daughter alive, you hear?"

"Yes," EDI said, "my capacitors allow me to register sound at a much more superior rate than any organic."

"I'll take that as a 'yes ma'am.'"

With the crew members introduced, Hannah insisted it was time for lunch. She politely shooed the cook away for better room, fishing out the ingredients for Lau (Vietnamese hot pot), Shepard's father's favourite. Of course Shepard had splurged a little to get them, but it was always a nice reminder of him, even though neither of them could make it as tasty as he could. Both Shepards had bitter sweet smiles on their faces as they cooked, remembering the countless lunches and dinners he would make time for everyday and eat together as a family. It was a tradition they both kept alive as much as they could. Shepard would insist on having lunch with her crew, Hannah would insist on calling during that time, only missing it when she absolutely had to. In that way, they rationalize that he's still there, in spirit. It was a tradition they could not let go, no matter how much time passed.

When the pot was steaming with delicious food, the crew gathered around. Garrus planted himself next to the Shepards, after grabbing some dextro meat that seemed to pass as food. The human crew members invited each took a bowl, possibly the best meal they would ever get on the Normandy. True to his word, Thane did join the gathering, sitting at the far end of the table and hands folded neatly in front of him. The two crew members she took on missions the most, the turian and the drell, were about to hear a new story of her childhood, which was always filled with a lot embarrassing hilarity. She just hoped they wouldn't tease her with it on missions. She wasn't too worried about Thane, he wasn't the type, but Garrus? Maybe, maybe not. He hadn't with the stories he already heard.

The door to Miranda's office opened, the Cerberus woman staring at the group and leaning against the wall, watching. Her arms were crossed, and a frown decorated her features. Would she interrupt them, or just watch silently?

Hannah stood before anyone partook in the food. She had her hands behind her back, as per usual. "Now, before we begin," she smiled, "I have a few words I would like to say. First of all, thank you. I could not imagine a better crew for Erin, all of you unique in your own way. That is all we can hope for, those of us in command, to find people that bring something new to the table, that you can trust with your life. Without that, you could barely be called a crew. And I have had many good crews, that's for certain." She smiled sadly. "I know I can trust you all in whatever mission you are doing. I know that it is extremely dangerous. I know that my daughter is, once again, going to save the galaxy. There is no one else in this universe that I am proud of more." She placed a firm hand on Shepard's shoulder, squeezing it. "Though I will admit, the mother in me wishes it was someone else."

The silence in the room said the most. The moment was fleeting, but Shepard wished that it wasn't her that had to do this too. In the few seconds of silence, she wished she could leave with Hannah and go home, to whatever station Hannah lived on. Sure, it would be awkward with Mark, but she would be with her mother again, and that was what mattered. But if it wasn't her, wasn't Shepard that was needed, she wouldn't be alive right now, would she?

"I wish you all the best of luck," Hannah continued, "and the safe return of you all."

Shepard couldn't hold it in anymore. "Oh, mom..."

Hannah's face brightened as she sat. "Well, now that's out of the way, time for a funny childhood story!"

Shepard's face flatlined. "Oh. Mother..."

"Oh honey, you know that's why they're here," Hannah replied cheerfully, "and I have the perfect story to tell! You remember of course when we lived on Straford Station, with the turian generals?"

Shepard did in fact remember that station and those generals. She firmly placed her face in her palm. "Yup. Let's get this over with."

Hannah grinned, and the crew began to eat. "The tale begins humbly, when Erin was the adorable age of six. We lived on the most diverse station of the time, an Alliance outpost that allowed aliens to live amongst us humans for location purposes only, since it was close to a prominent trade planet. Not many aliens mind you, just a few salarians and a young asari, but it was a step. Hien, Erin's father, insisted she interact with as many aliens as possible, which was not a common opinion held by humans of the time, including myself, I am sad to say. But he was always with her, so it seemed safe enough. Luckily, the aliens who lived on the station liked her well enough, she was always very energetic. Very difficult to dislike a child who was constantly bobbing up and down and smiling."

"Then, the Alliance was trying to broker an agreement with these two elderly turian generals, notorious for their stubbornness and general dislike of humans. And of course, I was in charge of this diplomatic mission. For weeks, we tried to form a mutually beneficial agreement that would work for both sides, but I think it was still too soon. Tensions were still high amongst humans and turians. The generals were uncompromising, and terribly irritating. No offence, Garrus."

"None taken," Garrus shrugged, "uncompromising isn't really an insult for turians, to be honest."

"One day, it was especially terrible. We argued and argued, and I thought for sure that we'd never reach an agreement. We took a break, and I searched for my family. Wouldn't you know, I found Erin standing near the generals, staring at them with big eyes. She'd never seen a turian before. Hien was there, watching, a big goofy grin on his face." Hannah shook her head. "I wasn't so happy about it. He hadn't argued with these generals, and a part of me was afraid they'd hurt her. Completely ridiculous I know. I rushed to scoop her up, but before I could she said, 'Hi! I like your teeth!'"

Garrus snorted. "Really Shepard? That's the first thing you noticed about us? Not the scales or the fringe?"

"Well, they are long and sharp. Lot's of us notice that right away," Joker grinned.

"I think Erin liked them because they look like cat teeth," Hannah smiled, causing Shepard to blush. "Which is probably why she asked the general's if they had ever bitten anyone."

Shepard groaned into her hands. Garrus coughed once, while the rest of the crew burst into laughter. Even Thane, who did not laugh out loud, still had a look of subtle amusement. Mordin, who hadn't joined them for lunch but had come over to get a few supplies from the Medbay, stopped to include his input. "Ah. Light biting common turian sexual act."

Shepard turned around slowly to face the salarian, her look of dismay quite telling. "Thank you Mordin. _That will be all."_

Mordin just smiled. "Happy to help, Shepard."

"Well," Hannah continued, "I of course picked her up and apologized profusely to the turians, dreading the result of Erin's curiosity. But I was surprised. One general was just flustered, I'd never seen a turian like that before. The other laughed so hard he had to balance himself on his fellow general. But after that, we worked out an agreement. They told me all about their children and grandchildren. Hell, we stayed in contact for a long time, until they passed away." Hannah shook her head, smiling warmly. "Those old coots were my first turian friends."

"You're welcome," Shepard said cheekily, chewing on a vegetable.

Hannah pinched her daughter's cheek, bringing back the blush that had gone away. "Yes, you've always been the peacemaker, haven't you?"

"Oh man," Jacob laughed, "just seeing Commander Shepard's cheek pinched by her mom made everything worth it."

"Okay," Shepard said in her authoritative voice, "everyone is dismissed. Back to work. Let's go."

It wasn't so much as a command than a heavy suggestion, and the crew took their sweet time to finish their lunch and disperse. Shepard waited for her mother, leaning against the elevator wall, listening to her teasing crew mates as they passed. The only one that got to her was Thane. "This was an...illuminating experience Shepard," he smiled, "it will be a memory I cherish."

Shepard gave a fake laugh. "Was that a joke? Great, so you're a comedian assassin. Fantastic." She then face palmed. "Oh my god, you're going to remember this in perfect detail forever."

"As I said, it was illuminating," he replied with a hint of humour, then he tipped his head politely. "And it was certainly better than being alone." He stepped into his sanctuary in Life Support, leaving Shepard with an authentic smile.

Before Garrus returned to his calibrations, he stood beside Shepard. "You are okay with all of this, right?" he asked, "I mean, it's probably a really jackass thing to ask after all this time, but you're not uncomfortable with your mom's stories or us laughing-"

"Garrus," Shepard smiled, "if it did bother me, my mother would know and never do it. I may groan about it, but honestly? Embarrassing stories bring us together, and it's a relief. That I know I don't always have to be the serious leader. But it's sweet that you asked. Thank you."

"Well that's me, the sweet one," he chuckled, "now if you'll excuse me, the guns are calling. See you later."

Hannah eyed him amusedly as he passed her, while Shepard waved him goodbye with a silly grin on her face. "Well!" Hannah said, "I suppose the last thing to do is to see your quarters." She nudged her daughter with an elbow. "And maybe a nice drink?"

"Sounds good," Shepard nodded, "I'll grab something from the bar, meet me at the elevator."

Shepard's quarters were obnoxiously clean and neat, with barely any decoration or personal touches to make it feel more like home. The only thing that indicated any personality was the two alarm clocks sitting beside each other near the head of the bed, programmed to go off minutes between each other. Erin Shepard was a terribly heavy sleeper. Hannah snickered at this, not having it any other way. They sat on the couch beside the bed, Shepard pouring two glasses of purple asari alcohol.

That was when Miranda's voice came through the comm. "Shepard. Captain. Hope I'm not interrupting."

Surprised, Shepard shook her head. "No, go ahead, Miranda." Then she turned to her mother. "This is Miranda, my second in command. She was also in charge of the Lazerus Project. The one that brought me back."

"Is that so," Hannah said slowly, staring up at the ceiling, "then I should go and thank you personally."

"It's...there's no need, "Miranda said, "I just wanted to say, Shepard, I apologize for what I said earlier. I don't believe your mother will compromise the mission, that much is clear."

Shepard smiled. "It's alright, really. Carry on, Miranda."

After the static of the comm disappeared, they sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks and waiting for the other to speak.

Shepard broke the silence. "So. We've been kinda only talking about what's been going on with me. How...how have you been these last two years? Is Mark okay?"

Hannah clinked the edge of her glass with her nails, her eyes growing sad. "We are no longer together. It was my fault. When you were gone, I just...delved into work harder, you know? I didn't leave time for my personal life, and that's no life for a couple. He understood, and we left it at that. I do still check in with him once in a while, and he's doing fine."

Shepard wanted to speak, but her throat had closed up. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like, losing her child like that. Killed in action, just like her father had been. "I'm sorry," she said, leaning her head on Hannah's shoulder.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Hannah said firmly, "this is...the risk we military folk take. We've both been on so many missions that could have ended our lives, it's almost funny. It's why your father kept the three of us so close." She shook her head. "Ah, Hien, sometimes I hated it when you were right."

"You think dad would've done the same thing as you? Or do you think he would've waited to come see me?"

Hannah chuckled. "Oh, he wouldn't have waited per se. He would have sent letters to the right people asking for permission to come see you. He would have been relentless, never would have stopped until he got it. Nothing would have stopped him from seeing his daughter, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be polite about it."

Shepard laughed. It did sound exactly like him.

"That reminds me," Hannah said, reaching into her Alliance overcoat, "I did promise you a surprise."

She brought out a picture frame, one of a family photo with Hannah, Hien, and a young teenaged Shepard sporting big grins. It was the exact photo that she had lost when the Normandy had been destroyed; copied from the original and placed inside a holo-picture frame for extra protection. It had always been her favourite picture, filled with good memories from a dorky father that wanted a good shot of his family.

"Oh, mom..." Erin said, tears welling in her eyes. She thought she had lost this picture forever. "I went to the wreckage, you know...the old Normandy. I tried to look for this picture but I never found it. _Thank you."_

Hannah pulled Shepard into a tight hug, petting her hair in a motherly fashion. It had felt like a hundred years since Shepard could relax like this. She felt an absence of being a commander, a leader, the heavy responsibility of her duties. Right now she only felt like a daughter, and it was a relief. But Hannah hadn't felt like a mother in two years, and the thought broke her heart.

Shepard wiped her eyes quickly, sitting up. "Okay, that's the last tears I shed for this. I'm alive now, and I'll do my damnedest to stay that way."

Hannah grinned. "That's what I like to hear."

Grinning and taking a sip from her drink, Shepard curled her legs under her, relaxing a bit more. "So, anything good happen to you lately? I hate thinking you had a miserable life for so long."

Mom Shepard laughed loudly at that. "You mean, besides finding out my daughter is alive?" Shepard pursed her lips at her cheeky mother, nodding. A coy grin curled the corner of Hannah's lips, making Shepard immediately interested. "Well," Hannah said slowly, "right after I found out you were alive, I may have rekindled an old flame in celebration. One from before your father."

Shepard tilted her head. "Before dad? So not Mark?"

"No. Mark and I are finished. We are content as friends."

"Hmm," Shepard hummed, "so who's the lucky fellow?"

Hannah peered at her from the corner of her eye. "If I tell you, promise not to freak out?"

"Please mother, I'm an adult," Shepard sighed, rolling her eyes and taking another sip of her drink.

"Steven Hackett."

The purple stream of asari alcohol burned her nose and throat, covering the coffee table in front of them and the carpet below. She spent a good solid minute choking, Hannah patting her back calmly as the fit passed. "You," Shepard cried in a hoarse voice, "you are involved _with my boss? Your boss?"_

"He isn't your boss anymore, honey," Hannah, said flatly, "and as for me, we know how to keep it professional when needed. I am an adult after all."

"Ohhh my goooddd," Shepard agonized, her hands running down her face, "my mom's dating _Admiral_ Hackett."

Hannah shrugged, sipping her drink. "And enjoying the hell out of it."

Shepard remained hilariously broken for the rest of the evening.


End file.
